We’re all used to being bombarded with ads for fairness creams. But a fairness cream that promises to fix ‘skin ailments’ such as the colour of your complexion is sure to trigger (mostly angry) conversations on social media.

The recent advertisement by Ramdev’s Patanjali brand that claimed to do this was ripped apart on Twitter recently.

The advertisement also claimed that the cream would boost the confidence of consumers who can enjoy “100% natural beauty”.

According to the ad, the beauty cream:

“Possesses the benefits of wheat germ oil, turmeric, aloe-vera and basil, etc., which are extremely beneficial for skin ailments like dry skin, dark complexion and wrinkles. Patanjali beauty cream is not just another cream but is a skin nourishment tonic and treatment. It gives you the confidence of 100% natural beauty. Try it yourself and suggest to your family and friends.”

At the end of the copy, Patanjali also took an obvious dig at its multi-national corporation competitors with one line: “Products made by MNCs are full of chemicals, while Patanjali products are natural and are cheaper by 25-50 per cent”.

Twitter user who uses the handle @beastoftraal posted an image of the ad along with a tweet criticizing the ad and Ramdev.

“For a brand that almost always starts its advertising by bad-mouthing 'those MNC companies' as looters and calls itself as '100% purity and 100% charity' (the tactic sure seems to be working for them given their spectacular success in the recent past), Patanjali seems to be toeing the line of MNC beauty brands in framing dark skin as a problem.”

This caught the attention of Twitter users and led to a fair amount of outrage against the ad, Patanjali and Ramdev Baba.